Despite Party Affiliation, Allianz Life Survey Finds Transition Boomers United in Concerns about Retirement Outlook

Published 3:31 PM ET Sun, 11 Nov 2012
Business Wire

Ahead of Presidential Election, Boomers 5-10 Years from Retirement Cite Rising Healthcare Costs and Social Security as Top Economic Issues

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regardless of party affiliation, Transition BoomersSM – those ages 55 to 65 who are less than 10 years away from retirement – agree that rising healthcare costs will have the greatest effect on their retirement outlook, according to the 2012 Retirement & Politics Survey* from Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life®). Sixty-seven percent of all Transition Boomers listed healthcare expenses as their top concern, with Republicans at 64%, Democrats at 69%, and Independents at 66%. Social Security ranked second at 53% for all Transition Boomers, followed by tax payment changes (31%), rising national debt (26%), unemployment (19%) and education (4%).

Conducted exclusively with more than 1,200 baby boomers ages 55 to 65, the survey found that, among these six economic issues, Democrat Transition Boomers are more focused on Social Security (65% of Democrats versus 42% for Republicans, 50% for Independents and 54% for those with no preference) and Republicans on rising national debt (38% of Republicans versus 15% for Democrats, 29% for Independents and 19% for those with no preference) than their counterparts.

“Regardless of political affiliation, Americans are facing tough challenges in the years ahead,” said Katie Libbe, vice president of Consumer Insights for Allianz Life. “It's crucial that everyone starts the process of retirement planning as early as possible to build toward a future with some certainty and security. Finding the time and energy to devote to retirement planning is a challenge, but the strategic choice can pay dividends down the road.”

Party Affiliation Drives Approach to Retirement SavingsWhen it comes to overall retirement savings philosophy, 59% of Republican Transition Boomers identified themselves as being conservative or moderately conservative compared to 36% of Democrats. However, Democrat Transition Boomers were more likely to be balanced in their retirement savings approach, with 29% identifying themselves as balanced versus 18% for Republican Transition Boomers.

Regarding the effect the election will have on their approach to retirement savings, 29% of Republican Transition Boomers were likely to become more aggressive if Romney wins while 30% of Democrats would become more conservative. If President Obama is re-elected, 81% of Democrat Transition Boomers anticipate no changes to their retirement approach while 42% of Republicans said they would become more conservative.

Independents not SwayedTransition Boomers who did not identify with either major political party also reported being more conservative or balanced in their retirement savings philosophy. Thirty-nine percent of Independents and 29% of those with no preference identified themselves as conservative or moderately conservative, while 30% of Independents and 34% with no preference identified themselves as balanced in their retirement savings approach.

The majority of this group of Transition Boomers also said the outcome of the election would not trigger a change in their retirement savings strategy. Specifically, if President Obama is re-elected, 64% of Independents and 75% of no preference Transition Boomers said they would keep the same retirement savings strategy. If Romney wins, 61% of Independents and 73% of no preference Transition Boomers said they would keep the same retirement savings strategy.

Republicans Start Saving for Retirement EarlierRetirement planning is clearly important to all Transition Boomers. Seventy-two percent of this group began saving for retirement in their 40s or earlier, and 28% started in their 30s. More Republican Transition Boomers say they have started saving for retirement prior to age 50 (79%) than Democrats (69%), Independents (71%), or Transition Boomers without political party preference (67%). In total, 17% of Transition Boomers indicated that they haven’t begun saving for retirement yet. Only 12% of Republicans, 19% of Democrats, 19% of Independents, and 23% of those with no party preference said they have not yet begun saving for retirement.

*The Allianz Life 2012 Retirement & Politics Survey was commissioned by Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and conducted from Sept. 17-20, 2012 among a random sample of online panelists by Ipsos. The results included 1,209 respondents (+/- 3-5% margin of error) age 55-65, weighted to reflect, insofar as possible, the demographic characteristics of the U.S. population in terms of age within gender, household income, and geographic region.

Editor’s note: Infographics available upon request.

About Allianz Life

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, one of FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2012, has been keeping its promises since 1896. Today, it carries on that tradition, helping Americans achieve their retirement income and protection goals with a variety of annuities and life insurance products. As a leading provider of fixed index annuities, Allianz Life is part of Allianz SE, a global leader in the financial services industry with 142,000 employees worldwide. More than 78 million private and corporate customers rely on Allianz knowledge, global reach, and capital strength to help them make the most of financial opportunities.